Essence.
Printing clay comes from a certain red hill in an area called Buhaira. This area is called Buhaira because it is smooth, level land, on which there is absolutely no blade of grass or pebble. This was told to me by the person who saw her. Such clay is called “priestly clay,” because only one woman took it from there - the priestess - I mean, in the old days. It is also called “priestly ocher”, since this is indeed the ocher that was taken by the named priestess who lived in the temple of Artemis. She brought it to the city and put it, like porridge, in the water, and, stirring it vigorously, left it standing so that it would calm down and settle. Then she drained the water from it, threw away the grounds and took only the oily and viscous part, from which she prepared clay like wax, and applied a seal to it. And according to Dioscorides, this clay was extracted from a cave in that place and mixed with the blood of mountain goats. Sometimes it is faked so much that it is completely unrecognizable.
Choice.
The best clay is the one that has a reserve of alum. It stops the blood flowing from the mouth, sticks to the tongue and sticks to it.
Actions and properties.
Paul says: “There is no medicine that stops bleeding as well as this.” It is stronger than Samian clay, so that organs, especially soft ones, cannot even withstand its strength if there is a hot tumor in them, and feel some rigidity from it. It cools and glues.
Tumors and acne.
It is useful at the beginning of the formation of hot tumors.
Wounds and ulcers.
Printed clay heals fresh wounds and hard-to-heal ulcers, prevents ulceration from burns and heals ulcers from burns.
Tools with joints.
It protects organs bruised by a fall and straightens joints, retards the outpouring of matter to the arms and legs and prevents corrosion.
Organs of the head.
Printed clay prevents catarrhs and stops discharge from the mouth and gums.
Respiratory system.
Printed clay protects the insides when falling, helps against consumption, and is also useful against hemoptysis, because it dries out ulcers in the lungs.
Eruption organs.
It helps as a drink or in an enema for malignant abrasions in the intestines, especially after the intestines have been washed with almost pure water, sweetened with honey, and then with salt water.
Poisons.
It resists poisons and bites if drunk with wine or rubbed with vinegar. Pure clay, when drunk, causes continuous nausea and promotes the eruption of poison, especially if drunk before poisoning.
Galen says: “I tested a medicine from the fruits of the common juniper, prepared in this clay, for the bite of a sea hare and for Spanish fly poisoning, and found that it immediately removed the poison by vomiting. I also tried it for a mad dog bite, mixed with wine, and also rubbed it with vinegar into the place bitten by the viper, and after rubbing, applied the leaves of Scolopendra or Centaury to it.